Note - You can hear both of Jeff's interviews with Bill
Northern (3-12 and 5-22) in the Archives. Bill was adamant there was something
wrong with the inside of Pegasus's right front hoof...)

From David Sloan

dt222@hotmail.com

6-5-00

As you probably remember, Bill Northern, on your May
22 program, said Fusaichi Pegasus told him the INSIDE OF HIS RIGHT FRONT
HOOF was injured. His shoulder was being cared for, said the horse, but
it really was the right front hoof that was hurting...

Check out this article from the Kansas City Star today:

FUSAICHI PEGASUS OUT OF BELMONT

Kansas City Star

6-5-00

Spooked by a noise, Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus
INJURED HIS RIGHT FRONT FOOT and will not start in the Belmont, Saturday's
Triple Crown finale.

Trainer Neil Drysdale said the incident occurred Saturday
afternoon while Fusaichi Pegasus was asleep in the back of his stall at
Aqueduct, NY. "A noise startled him, and he rushed to the front of
the stall, slipped and caught the right front hoof on the door," Drysdale
said Sunday. "It gouged a small piece the size of a dime out of the
side of his hoof.

"There is no soreness. But he couldn't work Tuesday,
and we want to preclude further injury."

Fusaichi Pegasus will be flown to California, where Drysdale
is based, on Tuesday, and he is expected to resume training in four or
five days... --

Most impressive. David

_____

David,

Thank you for sending this story, I agree! The problem
with the foot was finally noticed in the stall. It is called a new injury,
but could easily have been pre-existing but not visible.

I just called Bill and read the story to him.

Bill said, "Yes, that's what the horse told me.
Imagine if you have a pebble in your shoe. You learn to walk and put that
foot down so it doesn't hurt you. That's what Pegasus was doing. He has
had pain on the inside of that right hoof and he had learned to walk in
such a way that it didn't hurt him...but doing so had thrown his left side
out and caused him pain.

The trainers were treating the left side (and shoulder)
not realizing it was a compensation injury from favoring the right foot."

So, congratulations to Bill Northern. As you'll hear
in his appearances on the program, he is a very special man.